04.26.12~Catholic Matters

SUNDAY READINGS - Fourth Sunday of Easter FIRST READING: Acts 4:8-12. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a cripple, by what means this man has been healed, be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, but which has become the head of the corner. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." EXPLANATION: This excerpt from Acts is a sequence of what was described in last Sunday's first reading. Peter had cured a cripple-from-birth. He told the people that it was not by his own power that he did this, but through the power of Jesus of Nazareth, whom the Jews had, in ignorance, crucified. But the God of the Jews had raised Jesus from the dead. While the ordinary Jews were very impressed, and many of them accepted the faith of the Apostles, the leaders, the priests and Pharisees of the Sanhedrin, were anything but pleased. They had Peter and John arrested and kept in prison overnight. Next day they were interrogated and Peter answered for them both. filled...Spirit: This was as Christ had promised his Apostles while he was still with them: "they will hand you over to the Sanhedrin . . . do not worry . . . the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you" (Mt. 10: 17-20). Before the highest authorities and in the highest courtroom of the Jews in Jerusalem Peter, who only a short while before had locked himself, together with the other Apostles, in the upper-room "for fear of the Jews," now fearlessly proclaims his belief in the risen Christ. done...cripple: This was the miracle that started it all. The healed cripple is evidently produced in court---"this man is standing before you healed." name...crucified: It was through the power of Jesus that this miracle was worked---through the power of one whom this Sanhedrin had thought was silenced forever when they forced Pilate to crucify him. Peter courageously tells this to the arch-enemies of Christ and of his followers, and he wants all the Jews of Palestine to hear of it. whom God raised: Their plan to put an end to Christ was in vain, for God had raised him from the dead. stone...builders: Peter says that by rejecting Christ as the true Messiah they had fulfilled the messianic prophecy of Psalm 108, verse 22. This stone, rejected by the builders, the leaders of the Jews, has become the cornerstone which would unite firmly the two walls of the house, the Gentiles and the Jews. salvation...else: There is only one Savior, one Messiah, sent by God. no other name: "name" stands for person, and also the name Jesus, or Joshua in Hebrew, means "God saves." There is no salvation for those who will not accept and follow Jesus. APPLICATION: Clear and logical as was this discourse of Peter, and moved as he was by the Holy Spirit to deliver it, it fell on deaf ears as far as the vast majority in that Jewish high court was concerned. They had long since desired a political Messiah who would set up a world-wide kingdom for them. Not only did they want to be free from the hated Romans, but were ambitious to govern all the Gentile nations. Their ambitions and desires were of this world---worldly. Christ's talk of repentance, mortification and preparation for the world to come found no responsive chord in their hearts. He was not the Messiah they wanted; hence he was an impostor, a perverter of the people, and so they called on the hated Romans to nail him to a cross. Now his followers were claiming that God had proved that he was the Messiah and, what was more, that he was divine, by raising him from the dead. They were working miracles to back up this claim, and surely it is well known that God does not work miracles for impostors and sinners (see Jn. 9: 31). The reasonable attitude for them to take, even at this late hour, would surely have been to check the evidence. But no, they had already made up their minds and would not change them. No evidence could shift the wall of personal pride which they themselves had built. "There is none so blind as he who will not see," was surely verified in the case of the leaders of the Jews. Let us leave their judgement to God and turn our scrutiny on ourselves and on our acceptance of Christ. Do we ever allow temporal interests and worldly ambitions to come between us and our Savior? Are all our dealings with our neighbor strictly according to the commandments of God? Do we ever succumb to the temptation to make an easy dollar to the detriment of our neighbor, forgetting our Christian obligations? If we are employers, do we pay our workers a just wage and respect their rights as fellowman? If we are workers, do we work honestly and fairly giving a right return for the wages paid us? Do we accept all men as our brothers, as sons of God, who like ourselves are on the road to heaven, and are we always ready to give them a helping hand when and if they need it? Finally are we, by our faithful observance of the Christian life, a lamp shining brightly, helping the many unfortunate ex-Christians who have left the path of Christ, to return to their Savior and to the true road to heaven? "There is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved." We Christians are dedicated to the sacred name of Jesus Christ by baptism, but it is only those who live up to the obligations of their Christian baptism who are worthy to bear that name and to share in the eternal salvation which it guarantees. ________________________________________ SECOND READING: 1 John 3:1-2. See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. EXPLANATION: St. John here sets out in a couple of sentences the basic effect of the incarnation. Already in this life men are made children of God. Because we are God's children here below we shall see him as he is in the future life. love...given us: The infinite love of God is beyond the comprehension of our finite minds. Why should God love us since he does not need us? Our love has always something of the selfish in it; that is, even we find it difficult to recognize absolutely unselfish love. called children of God: "Called," because we are. God decided, before creating us, to share his own eternal home with us---to adopt us. To do this he decreed the incarnation of his Son: "Yes, God loved the world (mankind) so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but have eternal life" (Jn. 3: 16). By joining our human nature to his divine person Christ united us all in a special relationship to God the Father. We are the adopted children of God, as John emphatically says. would...know us: Christians need not be surprised that the world, that is, the forces of evil in the world, does not recognize them nor show any inclination to imitate or respect them, for this world (of evil) treats God in the same manner. God's...now: Already on this earth we are numbered among God's adopted children. This we realize only through faith. When this life is over we shall have a more direct and intimate knowledge of our good fortune. when he appears: John is referring to this perfect stage of our sonship here. When the Parousia, or the second coming of Christ, takes place, we too shall be glorified like Christ. We shall be raised to a higher supernatural state. we shall...he is: Referring to God the Father, John says that in our glorified state we shall see God "as he is." St. Paul expresses the same truth thus: "For our knowledge (of God) now is imperfect . . . once perfection comes all imperfect things will disappear . . . Now we are seeing a dim reflection in a mirror (the bronze mirrors used in those days) but then we shall be seeing face to face. The knowledge that I have now is imperfect, but then I shall know as fully as I am known" (1 Cor. 13: 12). After our resurrection we shall see God as he is, face to face. APPLICATION: During this holy season of Easter, while our thoughts center on the glorious Christ who rose from the dead and returned to heaven, our thoughts should follow him there, and dwell for a while on that happy place for which we were prepared by God and elevated by the incarnation of his divine Son. St. John gives us a little glimpse of that future home of ours in today's reading: we shall be glorified like the risen Christ he tells us, and we shall see God as he is, not through the veil of faith as we now see him, but in reality. In another book, "Revelation," John gives us a further glimpse into the heaven which awaits us: "Behold the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself will be with them" as a Father among his children, "he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying, nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away" (Rev. 21: 3-4). Heaven, therefore, as St. John describes it, is a state wherein every happiness a man can desire will be attainable, the vision of the infinitely perfect God is the guarantee of this, and every sadness and cause of sadness will be forever removed. In heaven man will have no sorrow, no pain, no regrets; instead he will have everything that is pleasing, beautiful, and good. We all have experienced some moments of happiness in our lives, moments when everything was going smoothly and happily for us, when we had no pain or sorrow or fear. We knew, however, that these were but fleeting moments, they could not, and they did not, last, for that is of the very nature of our temporary life on earth. In heaven, however, these happy moments will be turned into an eternal state, a state that will have no end. It is hard for us, in fact it is impossible, to form any complete concept of the joys of heaven. All our ideas, all our images are derived from our earthly surroundings. St. Paul, who was given a vision of heaven, tells us that he could not describe to his converts in Corinth what he had seen, because human language had no words or images to describe it. "I knew a man in Christ," he says, "who fourteen years ago, was caught up into paradise and heard things which must not and cannot be put into human language" (2 Cor. 12: 2-3). That vision of St. Paul, that glimpse of what awaited him, made him willing to sacrifice everything on earth, even his very life, in order to reach the heaven God had prepared for him. "For Christ I have accepted the loss of everything and I look on everything as so much refuse if only I can have Christ and be given a place in him . . . I have not yet won but I am still running, trying to capture the prize for which Christ Jesus captured me" (Phil. 3: 8-12). Without having the privileges which St. John and St. Paul had we have a sufficient idea of heaven to make us all desire it. But like these Apostles, and all the other millions of saintly men and women, we know that we must "work our passage" to reach that abode of God. We must stay on the path of the Christian commandments, ever ready to count as nothing any earthly thing that would lure us off their path. During our earthly life we must keep God and Christ daily before our eyes if we hope to live in perfect happiness with them in the hereafter. ________________________________________ GOSPEL: John 10: 11-18. Jesus said to his disciples: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again; this charge I have received from my Father." EXPLANATION: The Jews were a pastoral people, and it was only natural that their literature, the Old Testament books, should have many references to pastoral life. Our Lord and his Apostles continued this tradition and used pastoral images familiar to the people to illustrate for their hearers the spiritual truths of Christianity. In today's reading St. John gives us our Lord's description of himself under the well-known image of the good shepherd who not only cares for his flock but is willing to die to protect the life of that flock. I am...shepherd: He was the owner of the flock; they belonged to him, and he would prove himself a worthy leader and defender of his flock. lay...life: In those days wolves, lions and robbers often raided the sheepfolds. The true shepherd should and would defend them with his life. Jesus laid down his life for his flock. hireling...flees: The hired hand who does not own the sheep will flee when danger threatens. He thinks only of his own safety; he leaves the helpless flock to its fate. It was in Jerusalem, the stronghold of the Scribes and Pharisees, that our Lord preached this sermon. His cure of the man born blind (mentioned in the previous chapter of John) had caused an uproar among the Pharisees. When they could not deny the miracle, they said that Jesus worked it by some demoniacal power. The blind man, now healed, answered this very tellingly: "We know that God does not hear sinners . . . if this man (Jesus) were not from God he could do nothing" (Jn. 9: 31-33). The Scribes and Pharisees were the legal shepherds of the Jews, but actually they were far more interested in their own gain and glory than in the spiritual welfare of their flock. The mass of the people were being attracted to Jesus; there was a danger that these leaders would lose their position and the substantial profit it entailed. Hence one of the reasons for their fierce opposition to Jesus. In this sermon, quoted by St. John, Jesus contrasts himself, the true, good shepherd, with these hirelings who were working only for personal gain. I know my own: As the true shepherd knows every sheep in his flock, and every sheep knows him, Jesus knows each of his followers with a knowledge arising from love, and his followers like-wise know him. Unless they do they are not true followers. Father...the Father: The mutual knowledge of the Father and Son is infinite, since each is a divine Person. The Christian's knowledge of Christ can never be infinite, but it can and should be as great as possible. Based on true love, it will be as complete a knowledge as the finite mind is capable of reaching. On the other hand Christ's knowledge and love for his followers is infinite because of his divine nature. I lay...sheep: He said the good shepherd would defend his flock with his life. Now to prove that he is such a shepherd he states that he is about to do just that. I have...sheep: Most of the Jews had the erroneous idea that they alone would be God's flock always, that the messianic kingdom would be for them only. The universality of the promised messianic kingdom was frequently foretold in the Old Testament. Abraham was called to bring a blessing not only on his descendants but on all nations (Gen. 12: 3). The Gentiles, therefore, were also to be part of the good shepherd's flock. will...voice: This prophecy of Christ began to be fulfilled within a short time after his resurrection. St. Peter received the first Gentile, Cornelius of Caesarea, into the Church within a year of the resurrection. Before the last of the Apostles died the Church had been firmly established in the principal cities and towns of the Roman empire. one flock...shepherd: All the followers of Christ form one fold, one Christian Church. As St. Paul puts it to the Colossians: "here (that is, in the Christian Church) there is no Gentile and Jew, no circumcised and uncircumcised, no Barbarian and Scythian, no slave and freeman; but Christ is all things and in all" (Col. 3: 11). reason...loves me: The Father's love is poured out upon the Son because, in obedient love, he lays down his life for mankind in fulfillment of the Father's design. I may...again: By his death he nailed our sins to the cross; by his resurrection he opened the door from death to heaven for us and proved that he was the Son of God and the Messiah. no one...from me: He chose death freely, his enemies did not take his life from him (as they thought they were doing) against his will. This freedom is frequently emphasized by Jesus during his public life (17: 4; 18: 4; 19: 30). this...father: His voluntary death followed by his glorification in his resurrection was the Father's purpose in sending him on earth. He freely and willingly accomplished this mission. APPLICATION: The image of Christ as our Good Shepherd has always appealed to human nature. One of the earliest paintings of Christ in the Roman catacombs represents him as carrying an injured sheep on his shoulders. This is a manifestation of love which touches our innermost feelings. We do not mind being likened to sheep in this context. There is something innocent about a sheep, and at the same time a lot of foolishness. Does not this describe the vast majority of men, even many of those who openly oppose Christ? Is there not something very sheep like about the man who, because God gave him a limited intellect, thinks he knows all things and needs no further help from God? The sheep who thinks it knows as much, and even more, than the shepherd and sets out to fend for itself, is no more foolish than the man who thinks he can do without God's revelation and God's Church. Indeed we all act like sheep on many occasions, when it comes to the things that concern our spiritual welfare. We often ramble off from the flock to nibble at little bits of forbidden pasture. However, we have a Shepherd who understands us, one whose patience and love are infinite. He is always ready to go after us when we stray too far; his voice is constantly reaching out to us---in missions, retreats, sicknesses, crosses and other various ways. How many times have we already felt his loving grace calling and helping us back to the safety of his fold? There are many who are not so fortunate as we, who either through no fault of their own or through their own fault do not hear his voice and do not know or follow him. This is an opportunity he gives us to show how we appreciate all he has done for us. He died on the cross for all men. He wills all men to profit by his death, and his statement "them also I must bring" is a direct appeal to us to cooperate with him in this work. Every Christian is a missionary. The very fact of living the Christian life in its entirety, in the midst of our fellowman, is of itself a powerful example to outsiders. It influences for good the lax Christian and the non-Christian. It makes them stop and think and look into their consciences. This is generally the first step on the road back to God. The devout Christian will not stop at good example only. If he truly loves God, he must truly love his neighbor and must want him to have a share in his own good fortune. He knows there is welcome and room in heaven for all men, and he knows that the greater the number there the greater will be God's eternal glory. He will strive then by every available means to help his neighbor into Christ's fold. After good example, prayer will be his most potent weapon. Day in, day out the devout Christian must pray for the conversion of his fellowman who are wandering aimlessly in the barren desert of this life far from God. He must also learn all he can about the truths of his faith in order to be able to help honest Enquirer's. He must also cooperate with any parochial or diocesan societies for the propagation of the faith, insofar as his family and financial state allow him. The sermon preached by our Savior nearly two thousand years ago is still echoing and re-echoing around the world, calling on his faithful flock to do all in their power to help those other children of God who are still outside the fold. Do not shut your ears to this call of Christ today. Give him a helping hand by helping your fellowman to see the light of the true faith.-b182 Click to return to our Home page

04.26.12~Readings for Sunday, April 29th, 2012

Saint Max Bible Study meets at the back of the church in the Mother Cabrini Room Fridays 9AM -10AM… Please join us! http://facilitator-stmaxbiblestudy.blogspot.com Please click on this Link and become a Follower~! USCCB » Bible » Daily Readings APRIL 29, 2012 « April 28 | April 30 » Fourth Sunday of Easter Lectionary: 50 READING 1 ACTS 4:8-12 Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said: "Leaders of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed. He is the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved." RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29 R. (22) The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone. or: R. Alleluia. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone. or: R. Alleluia. I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me and have been my savior. The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone. or: R. Alleluia. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD; we bless you from the house of the LORD. I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me and have been my savior. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his kindness endures forever. R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone. or: R. Alleluia. READING 2 1 JN 3:1-2 Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. GOSPEL JN 10:11-18 Jesus said: "I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father." Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part o

04.26.12~Film Review~"The Lucky One," usccb website

News Items Top Stories News Briefs Vatican Origins Africa Headlines Also Featuring Movie Reviews Sunday Scripture CNS Blog Links to Clients Major Events 2008 papal visit World Youth Day John Paul II For Clients Client Login CNS Insider We're also on ... Facebook Twitter RSS Feeds Top Stories Vatican Movie Reviews CNS Blog . For More Info If you would like more information about Catholic News Service, please contact CNS at one of the following: cns@ catholicnews.com or (202) 541-3250 . Copyright This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, except by linking to a page on this site. . Movie Review The Lucky One By John Mulderig Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) -- Ah, how time flies. Wasn't it only yesterday that we were watching Zac Efron sing and dance his way through high school? And here he is in "The Lucky One" (Warner Bros.), all grown up and a Marine veteran of the Iraq War to boot (no Parris-Island pun intended). This being a Nicholas Sparks property, we linger by the troubled rivers of Babylon only long enough to learn that Efron's character -- Sgt. Logan Thibault by name -- has earned the titular accolade by surviving at least two close calls. Logan attributes his good fortune to the photograph of an attractive young stranger he accidentally discovered in the midst of battle. So, on returning home, he seeks her out to thank her. By identifying the lighthouse that looms in the background of the image -- what are the odds? -- Logan finds himself in the Hallmark card-perfect rural setting of fictional Hamden, La. There the object of his search turns out to be local kennel owner Beth Green (Taylor Schilling). Logan is too tongue-tied, during their first encounter, to explain the nature of his quest -- thus storing up plot complications for the future. But he makes a better impression on Beth's wise grandmother, Ellie (Blythe Danner), who hires him to help out with the dogs. And Logan soon hits it off with Beth's clever-beyond-his-years young son, Ben (Riley Thomas Stewart), as well. Despite some initial resistance on Beth's part -- it takes her a full 30 minutes of screen time to wake up and smell the pheromones -- and to the dismay of her scheming ex-husband Keith (Jay R. Ferguson), the black-hat town deputy, our two destined lovebirds inevitably fall for each other. Director Scott Hicks confects a serviceable date movie from Catholic author Sparks' novel, as written for the screen by Will Fetters. Attention is diverted from the jumbo improbabilities at work by Alar Kivilo's luxuriant cinematography of Cajun-country sunsets and such as well as by some wry observations from Granny and Ben. But the generally amiable proceedings -- which register, at times, like a prolonged iced tea commercial -- are marred by a couple of overheated scenes glamorizing the as-yet unwed leads' serial bedroom encounters. Though relatively brief, they strictly preclude viewership by any but adults. The film contains a benign view and semigraphic portrayal of premarital sexual activity, a reference to out-of-wedlock pregnancy, at least one use of profanity and a handful of crude and crass terms. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. - - - Mulderig is on the staff of Catholic News Service. END

Readings for Sunday, April 22, 2012

SUNDAY READINGS - Third Sunday of Easter FIRST READING: Acts 3:13-15; 17-19. Peter said to the people: "The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. "And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out." EXPLANATION: Peter and John, on their way to the temple, met a man crippled from birth. He asked them for alms. Peter said he had neither gold nor silver, but he would give him something better. He told the man: " in the name of Jesus of Nazareth" to "stand up and walk." The man stood up and followed Peter and John into the temple, " walking and jumping and praising God " (3: 8). The people recognized the man as the cripple who used to be at the gate each day begging for alms. The crowd, full of curiosity and excitement, gathered around the Apostles and the man who had been cured. Peter spoke to the crowd and told them that it was not through their own power or holiness that they had cured this man, but through the power of Jesus. God...our fathers: Peter emphasizes that he also is a son of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and that their God was also his God. his...Jesus: Second-Isaiah had described the future Messiah as the Suffering Servant (Is. 52: 13-53 :12), who would be obedient to his Father unto death. The Apostles and the Christians saw in Jesus this suffering servant (see Acts 8: 32ff). Peter tells the crowd that God had glorified this servant Jesus in his resurrection. delivered...Pilate: Peter now reminds them that a short time previously they had handed over this Jesus to the Roman governor to be crucified and had denied that he was their king or Messiah. They had forced Pilate to condemn him even though Pilate "could find no guilt in him." Holy...One: The Suffering Servant of Isaiah was holy, righteous and innocent of any crime. Like an innocent lamb he was led to the slaughter. This was Jesus whom they, the Jews, had been forcing Pilate to condemn and crucify. murderer...life: This refers to their choice of Barabbas, whom Pilate thought could save Jesus (Mt. 27: 20). Barabbas had committed murder and was awaiting trial. Jesus was about to give the true and everlasting life to all men. whom God raised: God was able to undo all their wickedness. He raised Jesus from the dead. Peter and all the Apostles and disciples were witnesses of the resurrection. They had seen and spoken with him, and eaten with him after his resurrection. acted in ignorance: His master, when nailed to the cross, had begged his Father to forgive them " for they do not know what they are doing" (Lk. 23:34). Following that example Peter says that the mob that howled for the death of Jesus, as well as the leaders who incited it, acted in ignorance. They did not know that Christ was God, nor did they believe him to be the promised Messiah. They had a built-in prejudice against his claims and were unable rightly to judge. God foretold: The Jews were acting as God's agents in carrying out what he had foretold concerning Jesus. repent...blotted out: The Jews must return to God; they had drifted away from him through their pride and prejudices. If they but return to God, abandoning their prejudices and pride, Peter now tells them that they will obtain forgiveness for all of their sins. APPLICATION: In the early days of the Church in Jerusalem the resurrection was the topic of conversation among the friends and enemies of Jesus. The latter did their best to deny the fact, but in vain; the followers of Jesus kept claiming that it was a fact, and worked miracles in proof of that claim. In today's reading the cure of the cripple-from-birth is one such miracle. Peter worked this miracle " in the name (that is, the person and power) of Jesus of Nazareth (3: 6), whom the God of the Jews had glorified and had raised from the dead." If Christ had been an impostor, as the Pharisees and scribes had stated (Mt. 27: 63), God would not have raised him from the dead and glorified him. Before a large gathering in the temple precincts in Jerusalem, Peter makes this claim only a few weeks after Christ's death on the cross. The people were impressed. In spite of the opposition of their leaders the number of Jews who became followers of Christ increased daily, "the total number of whom had now risen to something like five thousand" (see 4: 4, the same day this miracle took place). This was a large percentage of the inhabitants of Jerusalem at that time. No true Christian can have the slightest doubt about the fact of the resurrection of Jesus. The growth of the infant Church in Jerusalem and in Gentile lands is sufficient proof of it. Men and women do not attach themselves to one who has failed, nor do they take on a new and demanding form of life without sufficient conviction. Yet, there are men and women who, like the leaders of the Jews, still refuse to open their eyes to the light and who shut their minds against the most convincing evidence. Such people need help. One of the best ways of showing how grateful we are for the true faith is a willingness and eagerness to spread that faith to our fellowman. Christ became man for them too, he died on the cross for their sakes, and God the Father raised him from the dead so that they too may rise in glory one day. As true Christians, and true lovers of Christ, it is our duty to give a helping hand to those brothers of ours who are sorely in need of help. However, you may say: "What can we do; we are not missionaries nor preachers? We are not theologically equipped to enter into dialog and convince unbelievers." The fact is, that without becoming missionaries, preachers or theologians every Christian can act as a missionary, or preacher, or theologian without leaving his home and employment and without opening a book. The Christian who prays often and fervently for his fellowman and who lives his Christian life to the full, is a preacher and a missionary wherever he lives and works. In his daily actions he is showing forth Christ. His abounding faith and charity, his unshakable hope in the eternal future which awaits him, will do more to enlighten the mind and will of unbelievers than all the skill of preachers and all the theology of great writers. Are we not grateful to God and Christ? We are convinced that heaven is the pearl of great price compared with which everything this world has to offer is but as a grain of sand to the desert. We know that God wants all his adopted children in heaven. For that purpose we know that Christ humbled himself even to the death of the cross. We know also that Christ is counting on us to help him to bring them to heaven. Would we refuse him this return for all he has done for us? Would we be true Christians who love God above all things if we did not love our neighbor as ourselves? We want heaven for ourselves; we must want it for them too. Through the grace and mercy of God our prayers and the good example of our Christian lives will be the means of converting many sinners and unbelievers to Christ. He in turn will reward them and us with eternal life. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECOND READING: 1 John 2: 1-5. My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He who says "I know him," but disobeys his, commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps his word, in him truly love for God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him. EXPLANATION: About this first Epistle of St. John, see the second reading of last Sunday. In today's extract from this letter, the Apostle is urging his fellow-Christians to avoid sin. If they should sin, they are to admit their fault and seek pardon, which will be given in abundance. He has in mind, evidently, the Gnostic heretics of the time who, among other things, did not keep God's commandments and yet held that they were not sinning by violating them. John exhorts his Christians not to imitate these heretics. My little children: St. John uses this affectionate term seven times in his first Epistle, and six times the term "dearly-beloved," as a proof of his real affection for all the followers of Christ. you...sin: In the preceding verses the Apostle says that we are all inclined to sin and are at times guilty of sin. This is a defect of our human nature. The Jerusalem Bible translation is: "to stop you sinning" and may better translate the Greek and fit in with the context. advocate...Father: We have an advocate in heaven who has pleaded, and is always pleading for us, Jesus Christ, the just one. The Father will hear him. expiation...sins: By his death on the cross Christ has already made atonement, "expiation," for all our sins and "for the sins of the whole world." Those only who by repentance ask to participate can receive expiation. know...commandments: Although they claimed that they had special knowledge of him the Gnostics did not know him, because they did not keep his commandments. True knowledge brings love and obedience with it. Sincere Christians keep God's commandments. They know God, all he is and all he means to them. disobeys...liar: He who violates God's commandments is saying by his actions that he does not know God as a Father who loves him and deserves every reverence man can give. who...his word: The faithful service of God---the keeping of his laws---will bring each faithful servant of God to the perfection of love which is the essence, of true sanctity. The cause of perfect sanctity must be the true love of God, not the false love of God (shown by ignoring and violating his commandments) preached by the Gnostics. APPLICATION: It is a consolation for us to hear the saintly St. John, the beloved disciple, declare that any one of us, even the best of us, can sin. He loved God and fully realized what lengths God has gone to in order to share heaven with us. The very thought of offending God must have been something abhorrent, something detestable. Yet he knew that all Christians had not received as many graces as he had, and he, therefore, understood that their love could grow cold at times and that they could occasionally offend God. Coming from so great a saint as the beloved disciple, this understanding is consoling. He is but reflecting the mind of Christ, his Master, whom he loved so much. John had lived with Jesus for about three years. He saw how kindly he treated sinners. The Mary Magdalenes of Galilee, the adultress of Jerusalem, the tax-collectors all over Palestine, were all treated with kindness and understanding. If they but asked for forgiveness, even if only indirectly, they were forgiven their sins. In the apostolic circle too, Jesus had been merciful and patient with his worldly-minded disciples. Many months after they had joined him, John himself and his brother James were angling for positions of power (and maybe wealth) in the earthly messianic kingdom which they thought he would set up (Mt. 20: 20). All the Apostles deserted Jesus when he was arrested in Gethsemane. That night Peter denied that he ever knew him. However, when they later realized their faults and repented they were freely forgiven. Even Judas would have been forgiven his act of betrayal had he but repented. We sinners---and we are all sinners in many ways---are dealing with a forgiving God. What is more we have the forgiving Christ as our Advocate in heaven. Through his passion and cross he has already earned for us the right of forgiveness. On our part all that is needed is the humility to admit that we are sinners and the resolve to turn away from our sins. God and Christ will do the rest. Our Lord has left to his Church his sacrament of mercy. From a delegate empowered by Christ to do so, we can not only receive forgiveness for our sins but a declaration that they are forgiven us. This mercy of God and his divine Son should arouse in us a desire and urge to try to return a little bit of love for all that had been and is being done for our salvation. "Whoever keeps his word," St. John says, "in him truly the love of God is perfected." If we strive to keep the laws of God, if we try to live the Christian life, we will have the true love of God in us, we will be moving towards the state of perfection which will be ours in heaven. Should some over-powering temptation, or some unexpected assault of the enemy make us lapse momentarily, we have the guarantee that God will accept us back, if we but avail ourselves of the means his mercy has placed so easily within our reach---sincere repentance and, where possible and as soon as possible, the placing of our sins at the feet of his representative in the sacrament of penance. What earthly mother was ever so kind, so patient, so tolerant toward the children of her womb as our God in heaven is tolerant, patient, kind and merciful toward us his weak mortal children? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOSPEL: Luke 24: 35-48. The disciples told what had happened on the road, and how Jesus was known to them in the breaking of the bread. As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, "Peace to you!" But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit. And he said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself, handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, "These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses, and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things." EXPLANATION: This is the continuation of the appearance of the risen Lord to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. When these two disciples eventually recognized that the "stranger" who had explained the messianic prophecies to them on the way to Emmaus was none other than Christ, they hurried back to Jerusalem to inform the Apostles. They discovered that the Apostles were now convinced of the resurrection, for Simon had seen him. While they were discussing these things Christ appeared in the midst of them. Peace...you: This is the usual Hebrew salutation. Coming from Christ it was more than a pious wish. saw a spirit: Even though they had believed Simon and the two disciples they still were startled to see him there in their midst especially as St. John adds that he came through the closed door (Jn. 20: 19). Was he a ghost, then, or was he real? They had seen Lazarus raised from the dead, but it was the self-same Lazarus back on earth to continue life where he had left off. The resurrection of Jesus was different. He had risen to a new life, a life of glory which would last forever. A glorified body is not visible to human eyes, but Jesus took on a human form which could be seen. In this appearance the form was the same as the body that was crucified; on other occasions it was a different form, as was the case on the road to Emmaus (Lk. 24: 13-35), and at Tiberias (Jn. 21 :1-12). questionings arise: The Apostles did not believe our Lord's prophecies regarding his resurrection; they did not believe he could die, so how could he rise again? Now, presented with the fulfillment, they were still slow to admit the fact. hands...bones: He now asks them to see for themselves that it is Jesus who is there. They can see the marks of the nails on his hands and feet. He is not a mere spirit; a spirit has not flesh and bones as he had. disbelieved for joy: It was too good to be true; they could not believe their eyes. anything to eat: A risen, glorified body does not need food, but to convince his Apostles, Jesus appeared in a body similar to that which was crucified and ate some food to prove that he was really alive again---in a new mode of life, yes, but really alive. Thus...written : Jesus goes on to remind them of the prophecies of his resurrection which he had given them so often. He spoke also of the necessity of his death and resurrection. This was the plan of God as foretold in "the Law, the prophets and the writings" (psalms), which was the usual Jewish description of the Old Testament. forgiveness of sin: Beginning in Jerusalem the Apostles were to preach repentance to the world. Christ by his incarnation, death and resurrection had obtained eternal life (salvation) for all men; this Christian gospel must be preached to all nations. For this he had chosen his Apostles; they had been witnesses of his public life, his teachings, his death and resurrection. APPLICATION: Our Lord's glorious resurrection is the crowning miracle of his sojourn on earth among men. It is the foundation and cornerstone of our Christian religion. His death on Calvary proved that he was really human; his resurrection proved he was also divine. During his public life he had claimed to be God. Had that claim been untrue God the Father could not have raised him from the dead. By his death he made atonement for the sins of the world---"he nailed them to the tree of the cross"; by his resurrection he opened the gates of death for all men and made them heirs to the eternal life. We need hardly delay to prove the fact of the resurrection of Christ, for without it there would have been no Christianity, no Christian Church. In the story of the appearance which precedes today's Gospel, we are told how two of Christ's disciples were so depressed and disorientated by his death that they were giving up all interest in the dead Master and were returning home at the first opportunity (the Sabbath, Saturday, had intervened and they could not travel on that day). The Apostles were no better since Good Friday. They had remained behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. They had no hope left. They too would have left Jerusalem that Sunday were it not for the story brought by Mary Magdalene that Christ's body had been taken from the tomb. When the risen Christ appeared to the ten Apostles (Thomas was absent) they thought he was a ghost, so far were their thoughts from a possible resurrection. When the truth sank into their minds, however, they became changed men. After Pentecost day they fearlessly proclaimed to the Jews, of whom they had been frightened, that Christ whom those same Jews had crucified, had risen and was now glorified by the Father. Thousands of Jews in Jerusalem had come to believe in Christ, because they were convinced he had risen and was the Messiah and the Son of God, as he claimed to be. The four Evangelists testify to the truth of the resurrection and we have the exceptional witness of St. Paul whose radical change of life can have only one explanation---he saw the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. Of the fact of the resurrection we can have no doubts; Christianity is inexplicable without it, and Christianity has existed for more than two thousand years. A more important point for consideration today is what this resurrection means to us. "If Christ has not risen," says St. Paul (1 Cor. 15: 17), "vain is your faith, for you are still in your sins." But "Christ has risen from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep." Our faith then is not in vain, for the founder and foundation of our faith is the Word of God who cannot deceive or be deceived, and his resurrection is the guarantee of our resurrection. He is the "first fruits," the earnest of the full harvest that was to follow after our earthly death. We shall all rise again, in glory if we have been faithful during our time on earth, in a less pleasant state, if we have not followed Christ here below. Human life has always been the great enigma for philosophers down through the ages. The resurrection of Christ, which causes and guarantees our resurrection, is the one and only explanation of that enigma. If death were the end of man, with all his gifts of intellect and will; if the grave were to enclose forever this noble being whom God has raised above all other earthly creatures and has endowed with super-mundane gifts and aspirations, then indeed man's sojourn on earth would be an inexplicable enigma. But the gifts God gave to man were not simply to help him to make a precarious living and enjoy a fleeting happiness, interspersed with much sadness, for sixty, seventy or even a hundred years. No, they were intended to last for eternity and to reach their real fruition in eternity. With St. Paul then, we may well sing out today : "O death where is thy victory, O death where is thy sting? ... thanks be to God who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15: 55-57). Yes, Easter time is a time of rejoicing for every true Christian. It is a time for Alleluias, for praising and thanking God. Our happy future is within our reach. Our eternal happiness has been won for us by Christ and is within our grasp, if only we hold fast to the true faith of Christ, taking the rough with the smooth, going through our lesser Gethsemanes and Calvaries as Christ went through his great ones. If we do this we can hopefully await the angel who will roll back the stone from our grave one day, and allow us to enter into the glory of the eternal Easter in heaven.b174 Click to return to our Home page

04.12.12~Cath Matters for 4/15/12

SUNDAY READINGS - Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday FIRST READING: Acts 4:32-35. The company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the Apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the Apostles' feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need. EXPLANATION:The Acts of the Apostles is a book which gives a brief history of the infant Christian Church, from the Ascension of our Lord until the year 63 A.D.---period of about 30 years. Its first twelve chapters deal with the beginnings of the Church in Jerusalem and its neighborhood before the Church moved out to the Gentile lands. Today's four verses of Chapter Four describe the fervor of the first Jerusalem Christians, who were so filled with the love of God and neighbor that everyone shared with his fellow-Christians all that he had. The Christian community in Jerusalem had all things in common; it was the ideal Christian family while it lasted. who believed...soul: The newly converted lived in a truly fraternal charity atmosphere. had...common: There was a complete sharing amongst them of all earthly possessions. great...testimony: The Apostles from the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit convincingly and effectively preached the truth of Christ's resurrection. Miracles confirmed their preaching (see 3: 12; 4: 7; 6: 8 etc). great grace...all: "They were all given great respect" (by the people in general). Thus the Jerusalem Bible. That this is the meaning is clear from 2: 47; 4: 21 and 5:13. possessors...them: This was a free act done out of love of God and neighbor at a time when Christian idealism was at its height. laid...feet: Those who sold their lands or houses gave the proceeds to the Apostles to be distributed among the needy members of the community. APPLICATION: In this brief glimpse of the life of the first Christian community in Jerusalem, St. Luke (the author of Acts) emphasizes the ideal of Christian brotherhood, which animated the first Christians so much that many of them gave their possessions gladly for distribution among those of their brothers who were short of the necessities of life. As is clear from the incident of Ananias and Sapphira nobody was compelled to sell his possessions or to give all he possessed to the community (see 5: 4), but those who did so were setting a lofty and praiseworthy ideal for all time. While the vow of poverty, taken by religious, is an imitation of this early Christian ideal---the religious gives all that he or she has or may have to the community---such an act of abdication is of necessity restricted to relatively very few. The vast majority of men and women need personal possessions to support themselves and their dependents. The life of religious is governed by two other vows, obedience and chastity, which make the observance of poverty not only feasible but desirable. The life of a religious is regulated by obedience: he can be moved not only from one occupation to another but from one place to another, even from one country to another. Personal property would be a serious impediment here. The vow of chastity means that the religious will have no spouse and/or family to provide for, and so the chief need for personal possessions is removed. But, granted that our Christian religion does not demand of all of us that we should follow the example of the first Christian community in Jerusalem, we still have an important lesson to learn from today's reading. While we can, and the vast majority of us must, retain our personal possessions, we must still be always ready to share them with those in need. We are not the real owners of what we possess; we are only the administrators of the property God has given us. He is the real owner, and he expects us to use what he has given us justly and charitably. We use our possessions first and foremost to provide for our own needs and the needs of those depending on us. That charity and justice begin at home is true in this sense, but they do not end at home. While we provide for the needs of the home let us not exaggerate these needs; let us not indulge in luxuries for ourselves and our family, while there are neighbors on the brink of starvation. We need, today especially, a revival of that wonderful spirit of fraternal feeling which led many of the first Christians to sell all they possessed and distribute the proceeds to the needy. However, instead of selling our possessions, we need to use them well and wisely, so that we can give a helping hand not only to our fellow-Christians but to men and women of every nation and creed who are in need of help. Four-fifths of the world's population today are living in poverty, and some on the starvation line, through no fault of their own. One-fifth are living a life of comfort and sufficiency, many of them actually in luxury. While we may not be and most likely are not, among the latter, there are things we too could and should do without if we allow Christian charity to govern our lives. Have a good look at your home, your way of dressing, your meals, your recreations and entertainments and you may find many occasions for saving a dollar to give to relief organizations. When you put on your heavy winter overcoat think of the poor, naked children in Africa and elsewhere who have not even a little shirt to keep out the cold. When you sit down to your four-course dinner think of the unfortunates who would be glad of one bowl of rice a day. When tempted to spend a night drinking with your friends stop and think of the thousands of children dying for want of a bottle of milk. The Christian community in Jerusalem earned the respect of all for their charitable behavior. All you can do for your needy neighbor may not earn you any headlines in the daily papers, but if you do what you can you will be printing your name where alone it matters. You will be inscribing yourself in the Book of Life which is kept in heaven. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECOND READING: 1 John 5:1-7. Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God, and every one who loves the parent loves the child. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the witness, because the Spirit is the truth. EXPLANATION: This first Epistle of St. John is an encyclical letter written between 90 and 100 A.D. to all the churches of Asia Minor, when the gnostic heretics were trying to undermine the Christian faith. These Gnostics claimed to have a special knowledge of God and to be sinless, without keeping his commandments. They ignored the commandment of fraternal charity. It is doubtful if they admitted the divinity of Christ. St. John exhorts the Christians to continue to know and love God---this knowledge and love of God are shown by keeping his commandments. All men are sons of God. If, therefore, we love God we must love all of God's children. "Anyone who says: 'I love God' and hates his brother is a liar" (4: 20). Through Jesus Christ we know God is our Father; we know Christ is the promised Messiah and the Son of God. Let us live then as God's children in obedience and love. believes...Christ: This is the basis of the Christian faith. The Messiah was promised to Abraham and to his descendants. This promise was repeated many times in the Old Testament. The one who would bring blessings on all nations came at last in the person of Jesus who was, therefore, called the Anointed or the Christ. a child of God: Everyone who accepts Jesus as Messiah becomes an adopted son of God. We, therefore, became his brothers and God's sons. loves...child: Anyone who really loves God must love God's children, that is, all mankind, for it is God's commandment. keep his commandments: The man who keeps God's commandments proves that he loves God. not burdensome: What is done out of love is not a burden but a pleasure. born...world: Having been made sons of God "born of God," we are no longer subject to any forces hostile to God; we have been given the power to overcome them. The "world" in St. John, invariably means the sinful forces opposed to the truth and the light of God. victory...faith: Those who accept Christ as Messiah and Son of God overcome the allurements to sin. Christ conquered death, sin, and the world by his death and resurrection. This victory was won for us and not for himself. Therefore, if we live according to our Christian faith, the world will have no hold on us. by water and blood: When Christ insisted on being baptized in the water of the Jordan he was taking on himself the sins of the world (the sins of all time); he became our passover lamb. When he shed his blood on the cross he washed away all those sins and won the victory over evil for all those who would believe in him. not...water only: The Gnostics, against whose false doctrines John is warning his fellow-Christians, held that the baptism of Jesus alone was significant for giving the Holy Spirit to believers. John insists that the shedding of his blood on the cross was a necessary part of the work of our redemption. The water and blood which came from the side of Christ when pierced with a lance (Jn. 19: 34) were for John a proof of the redemptive value of Christ's death and the bestowal of the Holy Spirit. They were also symbols of the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist, the principal sacraments of the Christian church. spirit...witness: The same Spirit which descended on Jesus at his baptism in the Jordan remained with him all through his death. This the Agnostics denied, saying the Spirit left him before his death. Spirit...truth: Christ promised the Holy Spirit to his Church: "that Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive" (Jn. 14: 17) "but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name" (14: 26), "when the Advocate comes ... the Spirit of truth who issues from the Father, he will be my witness" (15: 26). Now that witness, who was with Jesus all through his life, is with his Church, a testimony to the eternal truth of the Christian faith. APPLICATION: "This is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith." In one short sentence, St. John, the beloved disciple of Christ, expresses the profoundest philosophy ever put before thinking man. We have had many philosophers and many searchers after the meaning and purpose of rational life on earth. We have had many attempts at explanations, but all have failed, for none of them satisfied the innate desires and total capacity of human nature. Of all the beings on our planet, man alone has the faculties for perceiving the truth and for enjoying the beautiful. While he shares with the animal kingdom the impulse to self-preservation and the perpetuation of the species, he has within him powers that surpass all animal instincts and raise him above the material world where he lives and moves. He can perceive beauty, truth, love, joy and happiness. With his will, which is motivated by the good, he can and does desire to possess these supramundane "goods," not only for a few short years but forever. How can man do this? How can he fulfill that desire for perpetual happiness, that longing for unending love, that craving for eternal beauty and joy especially if his life is to end forever in the grave and if the same dreary fate is to await him as awaits the dumb animals? This is where the goodness and infinite generosity of God steps in. It was he who gave us these spiritual faculties. Of their very nature they seek for spiritual fulfillment, and therefore he has planned for us an existence after our earthly death, in which all our rational desires will be fulfilled. This is the message of the Christian faith. St. John says that it conquers and puts in its proper place, in relation to man, our world and all its false attractions. This is the good news which Christ came on earth to establish and announce to men. God has planned a future life of perfect happiness for all who will accept it. Through sending his divine Son in our human nature, he has elevated our nature and given us a new status, the status of adopted sons. It gives us a right to the eternal kingdom of the Father. Our mortal life, if left to itself, would end naturally in the grave. But through the incarnation it is transformed into a new and everlasting life. As the preface of the Mass for the dead says : "life is not taken away (from us) rather it is changed." Death for the adopted son of God is not the end but the beginning of the true, beautiful and happy, unending life. This is surely a story of victory and the true philosophy of life. Our Christian faith alone gives the answer to all the problems which have disturbed men down through the ages. We, therefore, have the truth. We know the real facts of life and death. We have God's revelation through Christ, but we must put our knowledge into daily practice. It is not enough to be a Christian, nor enough to know where we are going, "it is not those who say to me 'Lord, Lord' who will enter into the kingdom of heaven but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven" (Mt. 7: 2 1). We must live as Christians, and travel the road marked out for us by Christ. We must do the will of God every day of our lives. We must love God, then, and love our neighbor who is a fellow-child of God like ourselves. We must keep God's commandments. When we truly realize what reward awaits us, the keeping of the commandments will not be a burden but, as St. John says, a pleasure and a privilege. Our Christian faith is surely the victory which overcomes the world. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOSPEL: John 20: 19-31. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." Now Jesus did many other things in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. EXPLANATION: Last Sunday's gospel, also taken from St. John, described the first hint at the resurrection which the Apostles received. Peter and John, convinced that the body had not been taken away, because the winding sheets were left behind, were beginning to believe. But the others were skeptical, the two disciples on the way to Emmaus paid no heed to the women's story, and Thomas refused to believe the testimony of the other ten, even when this present appearance of our Lord had convinced them. evening of...first day: The evening of the Sunday. the doors being shut...: He came through the closed door, which shows the spiritual qualities of the resurrected body (see 1 Cor. 15: 44-48). came and stood among them: To prove that he was the Christ who had been crucified and who was now alive once more. Peace be with you: Jews saluted one another by wishing peace, that is, health and prosperity both in the material and spiritual sense. Here Christ is not only wishing "well-being," especially the spiritual well-being, but he is giving it (see 14: 27). so I send you: He is now conferring on them the mission he had promised them before his death (see Mt. 4: 19; Jn. 17: 18 etc.), which was the continuation of the work of divine salvation inaugurated by himself. Receive the Holy Spirit: He breathed on them and said these words---the sacramental action. He had promised them the Holy Spirit when he had returned to his Father in glory (7: 39; 16: 7). This condition had been fulfilled that Easter morning. If you forgive...sins: Catholic tradition has rightly seen in this act the institution of the Sacrament of Penance. Thomas, one of the twelve...: He stubbornly refused to believe the word of the other ten Apostles and perhaps of disciples also who may have been with them. He needed personal evidence and the merciful Savior gave him that evidence. eight days later: For Thomas's sake the risen Jesus appeared again in the very same place and circumstances. He asked Thomas to prove for himself that his body bore the marks of the crucifixion. Thomas answered: Whether Thomas did touch the sacred wounds we are not told but his statement: My Lord and my God: Proves how convinced he now was. And his statement goes further in expressing the divine nature of Christ than that of any other person in the four Gospels. "Lord and God" were the words used in the Old Testament to stress the true God "Yahweh Elohim." Blessed...who have not seen: Christ is not belittling Thomas's expression of faith, but rather his slowness in accepting it on the testimony of others. Far greater, therefore, and more meritorious, Christ says, is the faith of all those, including ourselves, who have not had the privilege of seeing the risen Christ with our bodily eyes, but yet have believed in him on reliable testimony. Many other things: These last two verses were the original ending of John's gospel. Chapter 21 was added later. His reason for writing his gospel was that men might believe that the Jesus who lived and died in Palestine was the promised Messiah and the true Son of God. He who believes this and lives up to his belief will have everlasting life because of what this Jesus has done for all men. APPLICATION: It may surprise and amaze us that the Apostles were so reluctant to believe that Christ had risen from the dead, to live forever in glory with his Father in heaven. But we must remember that during their two or three years with him they saw nothing in him but a mere man, one with divine powers, but yet a man; certain prophets of the old covenant had some such powers also. Christ had "emptied himself" of his divine nature, and he had foretold his resurrection many times. But that he could be really God, as well as man, was something they could not then grasp, and if he was a mere man death had to be the end. Their slowness of faith had its value for the future Church and for all of us. If they had been expecting the resurrection, and anxiously looking forward to it, people could say that they imagined it, that they persuaded themselves it had happened. Indeed, there have been men proud of their acuteness of judgement, who have said that the story of the resurrection is a story of mass hallucination, although all the evidence proves the opposite. Their conviction that it could not happen, could not be removed from their minds except by impressive evidence that it had. Hallucination is born in a mind already expecting and hoping for the imagined fact. We can thank the Apostles and especially Thomas, the last to give in, that our faith in the resurrection and divine glorification of Christ is that much the stronger. Our Christianity which would have ended before the first Easter week had passed, if Christ had not risen in glory, spread rapidly to the then known world and is still spreading, because its author was none other than Christ "our Lord and our God." How prophetic were the words of Gamaliel at the meeting of the Sanhedrin which tried to prevent the Apostles from preaching the new Christian faith: "If this plan or work is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow it" (Acts 5: 38-39).b167 Click to return to our Home page

04.12.12~Readings for Sunday, April 15th-2012

April 15, 2012 « April 14 | April 16 » Second Sunday of Easter Lectionary: 44 Reading 1 Acts 4:32-35 The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need. Responsorial Psalm Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 R. (1) Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting. or: R. Alleluia. Let the house of Israel say, "His mercy endures forever." Let the house of Aaron say, "His mercy endures forever." Let those who fear the LORD say, "His mercy endures forever." R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting. or: R. Alleluia. I was hard pressed and was falling, but the LORD helped me. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. The joyful shout of victory in the tents of the just: R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting. or: R. Alleluia. The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it. R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting. or: R. Alleluia. Reading 2 1 Jn 5:1-6 Beloved: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the Father loves also the one begotten by him. In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith. Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the one that testifies, and the Spirit is truth. Gospel Jn 20:19-31 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

RE: 04.05.12~Easter Sunday + Cath Matters + "October Baby" Movie Review

Saint Max Bible Study meets at the back of the church in the Mother Cabrini Room Fridays from 9AM to 10AM… Please join us!

http://facilitator-stmaxbiblestudy.blogspot.com

***REMINDER: There will be NO Bible Study Session on Friday, April6th!***
We will resume on Friday, April 13th-2012 at 9AM

USCCB » Bible » Daily Readings

APRIL 8, 2012

« April 7 | April 9 »
The Resurrection of the Lord
The Mass of Easter Sunday
Lectionary: 42, 46, 41
READING 1 ACTS 10:34A, 37-43
Peter proceeded to speak and said:
"You know what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.
We are witnesses of all that he did
both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.
This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible,
not to all the people, but to us,
the witnesses chosen by God in advance,
who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
He commissioned us to preach to the people
and testify that he is the one appointed by God
as judge of the living and the dead.
To him all the prophets bear witness,
that everyone who believes in him
will receive forgiveness of sins through his name."

RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23.
R. (24) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
"His mercy endures forever."
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
"The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD."
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
READING 2 COL 3:1-4
Brothers and sisters:
If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory.
OR 1 COR 5:6B-8
Brothers and sisters:
Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?
Clear out the old yeast,
so that you may become a fresh batch of dough,
inasmuch as you are unleavened.
For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.
Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,
not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
GOSPEL JN 20:1-9
On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don't know where they put him."
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.


SUNDAY READINGS - Easter Sunday
FIRST READING: Acts 10: 34; 37-43. Peter opened his mouth and said: "You know the word which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses to all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and made him manifest; not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
EXPLANATION: These verses are part of the story of the conversion of Cornelius, a Roman army officer. Stationed in Caesarea, Cornelius believed the God of the Jews was the true God, but though a good-living man, he had not become a Jew. Advised by a divine messenger, he sent to Joppa for St. Peter, whose antipathy to pagans had been corrected by a vision seen that same day. Peter came to Caesarea and, contrary, to his life-long custom, entered the pagan home of Cornelius, who explained to him why he had been asked to come (10: 1-33). Peter then speaks:
You know...which was proclaimed: Peter gives a synopsis of Christ's public life and mission in Palestine, of which Cornelius, a man in a position of authority, must have heard already.
anointed...with the Holy Spirit: a reference to the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus during his baptism by the Baptist in the Jordan.
and...power: proved by his many miracles and by his teaching.
God was with him: In his human nature divine power was given him. He was God the Son, but in his human nature, as man, he emptied himself of his divine glory, as St. Paul tells us (Phil. 2: 6; see last Sunday).
"hanging him on a tree": a figurative expression for crucifixion (see Dt. 21: 23). only to have God raise him third day. The resurrection of Jesus is attributed to the Father in almost all the texts that refer to it in the New Testament. The verb in Greek is passive "was raised." St. Jerome translated this with the active voice surrexit "he rose." As the Father and Son, are one God, there is no theological difference.
not to all...witnesses: He appeared to ,the Apostles, disciples and others (see 1 Cor. 15: 1-8), during forty days after his resurrection.
and drank with him: Jesus had eaten with the Apostles---not that the risen, glorified body needed food but to convince them of the reality of his risen human body.
to preach to the people: The commission given to the Apostles on Ascension Day.
judge of the living and the dead: Judge of all men. This will be the role of Christ the God-man (see 17: 31).
prophets...witnesses: No prophets are quoted, but in a true sense the whole Old Testament was a preparation, and a prophecy in fact, concerning him who was to come (see 3: 19-26).
through his name: The purpose of the Incarnation was to make men not only friends but sons of God. Where sin had intervened, its remission was necessary and available for all who believed in Christ (see 3: 19-26).
APPLICATION: This passage from Acts has been selected for Easter Sunday not only because the resurrection is mentioned in it, but especially because St. Peter in his first discourse to a Gentile makes the resurrection the basic doctrine and the crowning proof of the truth of the Christian faith. As St. Paul says: "If Christ has not risen vain is our preaching, vain too is your faith" (1 Cor. 15: 14). And like Paul, St. Peter stresses the truth of the resurrection by citing witnesses, including himself, who had not only seen the risen Jesus but had spoken to him and actually eaten with him.
There is no room for doubt but that Apostles and disciples had thought that the sad events of Good Friday had put an end forever to the mission of love and mercy of their beloved Master. In spite of his previous references to his resurrection, they had completely forgotten it and were convinced that the tomb near Calvary was the end of all their hopes. They had locked themselves into the room of the Last Supper for fear of the Jews---two of them had set off for home on the Sunday morning, down-hearted at the Master's failure; the others were waiting for an opportunity to slip out of the city quietly. But the resurrection changed all this. The unexpected, the unhoped-for happened. Even the most skeptical of them all, doubting Thomas, was eventually convinced of its reality. Had they been hoping for it, or even thinking of it, there might be some reason to suspect it was only an hallucination, the result of their "wishful thinking," but the very opposite was the case. They were hard to convince even when it happened.
All this was intended by God---the basis of our Christian faith was proved beyond doubt. Christ, who had died on the cross on Good Friday, was raised from the dead by his Father on Easier morning. He returned to heaven in the full glory of the divinity which he had hidden while on earth, together with his human body, now also glorified. There (in heaven), as God and Man, he pleads for us at the right hand of the Father until the day when he who redeemed all men will come to judge them all.
The Alleluia is repeated often during the Easter ceremonies. It is a Hebrew word, which means "praise ye the Lord." It is our attempt to give verbal expression to our joy and gratitude for all that God has done for us. We are no longer mere humans living on this planet for a few short years. We are citizens of heaven, made children of God the Father by Christ our Brother. And he has gone before us to his and our kingdom to prepare a place for us. He conquered death. Our earthly death has, therefore, now no real fears for us: it is not the end but the beginning of our true lives. It is only after our earthly death that we truly begin to live.
There is only one death now which we can fear---the spiritual death of serious sin which can keep us from our true heavenly life. But while this is a possibility for all of us, it is only a possibility. The sincere Christian who realizes what God has done for him and what is in store for him, will never be so ungrateful to God or so forgetful of his own best interests as to let some temporal and passing pleasure, pride, or profit, come between him and the eternal home which God's love has prepared and planned for him.
SECOND READING: Colossians 3:1-4. If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
EXPLANATION: The method of administering Baptism in the apostolic days was by immersion. Those who heard the story of the gospel and were ready to believe in the one true God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit who had cooperated in man's redemption and elevation to divine sonship, were immersed in water to be cleansed from their sins and their previous worldliness. Immersion in water symbolized being buried in the tomb with Christ. By immersion, therefore, the now Christian died with Christ to all earthly attachments and desires. He was raised again from the water (the tomb) to be with the Risen Christ.
If you have been raised...Christ: The physical act of immersion and rising again from the baptismal bath was not enough unless the convert meant what he was doing. The Christian life was a new life, a life of unity with Christ. Therefore, the new Christian must:
set your mind...things above: His thoughts must now be on the things of the spirit, the everlasting truths which he has just learned. His past evil practices must be forgotten.
where Christ is seated: He must strive to earn heaven where Christ is now in glory, having gone through death and resurrection to make heaven available to us.
not on things that are on earth: The things of earth insofar as they are sinful, or occasions of sin, are now forbidden. Insofar as they are necessary for the sustenance of earthly life they are not forbidden, but they must always be used so that they do not impede the journey to heaven.
You have died...your life...Christ: The Christian has died in baptism to all sinful earthly concerns. He is now living a new life; it is hidden because it is a spiritual life. Externally, in bodily appearance, he has not changed, but since his baptism, he is a new man. He is with God, a brother of Christ and a member of God's family.
When Christ...appears: Christ lives in the Christian. The Christian lives in Christ and through Christ. Christ is the source of our new life, and the essence of it, by faith and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.
you shall appear...glory: Christ will appear in glory at the particular and the general judgements. The loyal Christian will appear, will return with Christ from the grave, in the glorified state which will be his for all eternity.
APPLICATION: Children at boarding schools draw, up calendars and mark off each day which brings them one nearer to the end of the, term. Fiances mark off the months, the weeks, the days that separate them from, the great day when they will be united forever, they say, to their beloved one. Seminarians count the years, months, weeks to the great day when, they will be ordained and say their first Masses. Parents look forward anxiously to the day when their children will be educated and safely settled in life. In fact, we are all always looking forward to a happier day which is to come some time. All this is very natural and very human, because our present life is not our permanent life; our present home, this earth, is not the real home destined for us by our loving Creator.
We were created for unending happiness in heaven, and it is only when we get there that our desire and our quest for some greater happiness will end. From then on, we will always enjoy and possess that all-satisfying happiness.
Today, Easter Sunday, St. Paul reminds us that we have this happiness within our grasp. We are moving steadily and more quickly than we realize toward it. The Holy Trinity, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, have already done, and are daily continuing, to do for us, all within their power. All that is needed is that we do the little that is asked of us.
St. Paul tells us we must "mind the things that are above not the things that are on earth." We must never let the "things of earth," the pleasures, the power, the possessions which we can or could, have in this life, block or impede us on our upward journey. Does this mean that we must all return to the deserts of Egypt, as some early Christians did? By no means. We are not forbidden to have the lawful pleasures of life. We are not forbidden possessions or power if they are used justly. All we are forbidden is the unlawful use of the things of this world.
And as regards minding the things that are above, this is not something calling for extraordinary self-sacrifice or unnatural mental activity. All we are asked to do is to try to stay in God's grace, and do our daily chores whatever they be, as well and as diligently as we can. We are expected to recognize our natural weakness and to turn to God frequently for pardon and for help.
Whilst there are saints in heaven who lived lives of extreme self-mortification and did extraordinary things for God and for their neighbor, it is an encouraging and consoling thought that there are millions of unknown saints in heaven who lived normal lives, unnoticed by the world and maybe even by themselves. They are people who kept in God's friendship all their lives, or got back quickly to it, if they sometimes forgot or offended their heavenly Father.
What millions of others have done I can do too. We are aided by God's grace as they were. God wants me in heaven. He has an Easter resurrection planned for me.
GOSPEL: John 20:1-9. On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb, he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
EXPLANATION: The accounts of Christ's resurrection on Easter morning as given by the four Evangelists vary in details but agree on the essential points. Some women, the leader among them being Mary Magdalene, came to the tomb early on Sunday morning to anoint the dead body with spices, in order to help preserve it. This anointing had been done very hastily on the Friday because of the Sabbath which began at sundown. The tomb was found open and empty. The first thought of the women was that somebody had stolen the corpse. This shows how far resurrection was from their minds. They went in haste to the disciples. Peter and John ran to the tomb. Later that day Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene, to ten of the Apostles, to Peter separately (according to St. Paul, 1 Cor. 15: 5), to two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Lk. 24: 13); and, later on, he appeared often to the Apostles and disciples in Galilee, for a period of days.
First day of the week: The Sabbath was the last day of the Jewish week, so the first day corresponds to what is now called Sunday.
Mary Magdalene: John mentions only Magdalene by name but the "we don't know" in verse 2 implies there were others with her.
stone had been moved away: The tomb was raised above the ground and its entrance was closed by rolling a large stone, cut for the purpose, across the entrance (see Mk. 16: 3).
they have taken the Lord...: Magdalene's only possible explanation of the absence of the body.
Peter and the other disciple: Peter and John ran to the tomb. When they found the winding sheet and the cloth that covered the head lying there, they realized that the body had not been stolen or taken away: why should the linen coverings have been removed?
He saw and believed: That Peter had been the first to believe and then John, seems to be the meaning here, not that John believed in contrast to Peter.
as yet they did not understand: Until this moment they had not understood the Scriptures which had foretold his resurrection. In fact neither had they believed Christ's own prophecies of his resurrection---it seemed to be something which could not happen.
APPLICATION: As we said above, the accounts of the resurrection of Christ differ in many details in the different writings of the New Testament, but the fact of the resurrection stressed in all of them, was the basis of the new Christian Faith. Had it not happened, Christianity would, have been stillborn. It would have disappeared from Jerusalem and the world on that first Easter Sunday. Peter and his companions would have returned to their fishing-nets and boats on Lake Genesareth, and Christ the good and the kind man who had helped so many, would have been forgotten in half a generation.
But Christ was no mere man of kindly acts and words of wisdom. He was the Messiah, promised for centuries. He was the suffering servant foretold by Isaiah, whose perfect obedience to his Father had led him to the Cross and the grave. But above all, he was the Son of God who had emptied himself (St. Paul) of his divine glory in order to be the perfect human servant of the Father, and who was now raised by the Father with his divine glory restored, and his glorified resurrected body sharing in that glory. This was the divine plan of God for mankind, through Christ, and because of Christ's (the new Adam's) perfect obedience, all mankind would be made worthy of divine sonship, and worthy of one day rising like Christ from the grave in glorified bodies.
Is all this too good to be true? It is, if we make God to our image and likeness, as so many opponents of Christianity do. He is God and his love is infinite and incomprehensible to us. What God can see in me and my fellowman will always be mystery to me, but then I have not the mind of God. All I know and all I need to know is that I have sufficient proofs that God loves all men. The Incarnation, death and resurrection of his Divine Son for man's sake is the greatest proof of love for us that even the omnipotent God could give. He has given it. As a necessary consequence from this act of divine love, we are guaranteed our resurrection from the dead to a life of unending happiness and glory if we do not, in extreme folly, reject God's offer.
Today, let us thank God once more for Easter and for all that it means for us. Our personal Easter mornings not far away from even the youngest among us. We have a few Calvaries to climb perhaps in the meantime but what are they when we see our glorious Easter on the horizon?b161
Click to return to our Home page ************************************************************************

***I Saw the film “OCTOBER BABY,” Tuesday night, April 3rd and was quite moved by it, and I strongly recommend seeing the film and staying for the end credits as they roll by on the screen… Here is the usccb movie review: